offlist re: four-year-olds

[pippin_999]

Amy wrote:

.>>>>  You can't avoid your kid    without being guilty of child 
neglect.
> 
>   I do worry about this sometimes.  I love kids of all ages and 
am   very good with them, but when I worked in day care, and 
then later as   an au pair for two wonderful, creative kids ages 4 
and 6, I was SO   ready for adult conversation at the end of each 
day.  People say    children have no attention span, but they don't 
know what they're   talking about.  The four-year-old could happily 
play Truck Collision    for hours on end, and of course he wanted 
me to play with him (shucks,    I was hoping to sit nearby reading 
and saying "uh huh, nice" whenever   he said "BOOM!").  <<<<

One of the nice things about being an actual parent, as opposed 
to a care giver, is that *you* get to set the agenda. Chances are, 
the things that fascinate you will fascinate your child as well.  I 
took my four year old to art museums and other "grown up" 
places I wanted to visit. 

Also, I firmly believe it's important for little ones to learn to 
entertain themselves. While you can't spend the whole day with 
your nose in a book, you can firmly say, "It's mommy's reading 
time. Would you like to x or y?" X or Y being two activities the child 
can do by herself. 

There are still days you're going to be drained and ready to 
speak to an adult, but that's just as true if you work in an office. 

Pippin